Once Upon A Smile Dreary
by Kayla Elric
Summary: We all are familiar with Orochimaru: the serpentine sannin hated by all within the Hidden Leaf Village. But, what if there was a time when he didn't lust for power? What if he met someone who vowed to protect him, someone who wouldn't run away?


_"Jiraiya, you've got to be crazy!"_

_The young, white-haired ninja turned to his blonde comrade, who was tying her hair up. "Come on, Tsunade! This would be hilarious!"_

_"You're kidding me!" Tsunade exclaimed. "If Sarutobi sensei doesn't find us here when he arrives, he'll punish all of us."_

_"You have no sense of adventure…" He sighed and moved some hair out of his face. "I betcha Orochimaru would be up for it!"_

_"Please don't involve me…" The other child, a ghostly pale, golden-eyed young boy, hid his face behind his curtain-like black hair._

_Jiraiya growled. "Come on, you two! All we'd do is-"_

_"We heard you," Orochimaru interrupted. "All we do is run off into the woods, each in a different direction, and try to attack our sensei when he arrives. Do you honestly think we'd outsmart a master like him?"_

_"Orochimaru's right, Jiraiya," Tsunade agreed. She leaned against a tree's trunk, crossing her arms. "We have better things to do…Besides, you only come up with things like this so you can sneak off and steal perverted books from that vendor outside of town."_

_"Aw, I'm going off anyway…So much for you two." And with that, the young ninja stomped off. "I'll get it on my own."_

_"Oh, Jiraiya!" The blonde ninja rubbed her temple with her fingertips. "Every single time, he does this…" She quickly turned to her remaining teammate. "Orochimaru, I'm going after him."_

_She only received a nod from him as a response, and that was all she needed as she ran off to catch up with Jiraiya and bring him back._

_After both were clear out of sight, the young boy just sighed and sat against the tree he was closest to, looking up at the semi-cloud-covered sky through the branch clearing. His breathing became slow and deep as he closed his eyes and made somewhat of an attempt to relax, listening to the sounds of nature around him. The birds chirping, the wind rustling through the leaves on the trees, the rapid footsteps and high-pitched scream of a girl in terror…_

_What on earth?_

_Sitting up, Orochimaru shot his eyes open and caught a glimpse of a young girl about his age run and trip into the clearing and to the ground. She sat up herself quickly and scooted back, her gaze toward something in the brush, not even noticing that she was intruding on someone's quiet time._

_Upon closer inspection, Orochimaru discovered that the so-called "threat" that this young girl had been running from…was a snake. A harmless garden snake, but a large one at that. With a sigh, he stood and walked ahead of the girl._

_"How could you be afraid of something so harmless?" he asked her, a dull amount of surprise in his voice. He sat down by the snake and put his hand firmly on the ground next to it. "It won't hurt you…"_

_"B-but…I could've sworn it was trying to get me…" the girl replied, trying to defend herself._

_"Or maybe you were just intimidated by its size?" He raised an eyebrow at her, the snake crawling up his arm._

_"Y-yeah, maybe." She giggled, feeling foolish with herself. "I'm Mika. What's your name, snake-boy?"_

_Upon hearing those last words, Orochimaru winced, but looked back at her from observing his new serpent friend to say "It's Orochimaru" with emotionless eyes._

_"Nice to meet you, Orochi-chan." Mika giggled more, a blush spreading across her cheeks, which she tried to hide._

_Orochimaru, apparently, noticed her blush as he looked the girl up and down. She had light brown hair and pale grayish-blue eyes, one of which was covered by a set of long, reddish-brown bangs. She wore a dark, blood-red kimono with a black and somewhat furry-looking sash, and though he hated to admit it, the young ninja couldn't help but think of her as somewhat attractive. Very attractive, actually._

_"Don't call me that…" He said to her sternly, though he quickly changed his tone to a softer, calmer one. "I'm surprised you don't like snakes."_

_"Oh?" Mika raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you actually _like _them."_

_"I've always had a fascination with them, I suppose… They've never harmed me, and I've been taught to respect living things, so I've never grown to fear them."_

_"Oh…well, they've never harmed me either. I guess they just frighten me."_

_Orochimaru laughed a bit to himself and brought his arm around toward Mika, who backed up a few inches. "Go ahead and touch it; I won't let it bite you…"_

_With a slightly concerned look, the young girl slowly reached out her hand, fingertips barely out, stopping stiff the second she touched the scaled beast. It was then she realized, this _was _harmless. Within a few moments, she was able to move her arm again, moving her fingertips along the length of the snake's back._

_"See? It's not so scary…"_

_"It was nothing." She smiled at him._

_And…for some odd reason…he smiled back. Just a small one, but a smile nonetheless._

_"Afraid of anything else while we're at it, Mika-chan?"_

_She blushed more, looking down. "Not anymore, Orochimaru."_

_"Hmm…Mika, doesn't your name mean 'moon'?"_

_She nodded. "That's right. I'm a child of the night, y'know."_

_"Then why are you out here at such an early hour?"_

_"Even the darkest people need a bit of sunshine, Orochimaru. That's my motto."_

_He rolled his eyes, not noticing his smile getting even biggers. "I don't think I've ever heard that one, Mika-chan."_

_"Haha, I bet not. What are _you _doing out here this early?"_

_"Well, if you must know, I'm in training and I'm waiting for my sensei to arrive and my two other teammates to return. I hope to learn every jutsu known to exist."_

_"Well, I wish you luck, my friend." Mika giggled and stood. "I suppose I should be off; wouldn't want to get you in trouble with your sensei…I'll see you around Orochi-chan."_

_"…Farewell, Mika-chan."_

_And, with a quick wave, the young girl ran back off through the woodsy path from whence she came…_

**Well, that's the first chapter, ladies and gents. And...ya wanna know a secret???**

**...I dun watch Naruto! This is all just coming from what I've seen and already know. Please don't flame me 'cuz of it!**


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